By Maria Walliser-Wejebe, GOPC Project Associate

This August, the American Public Transit Association (APTA) awarded the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) with the Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award. COTA was among other mid-sized transit authorities, a category for systems with an annual ridership between 4 and 20 million passenger trips, considered for this award. COTA received this award thanks to the organization’s dedication to safety and its investments into fleet service, including the May 2017 transit system redesign and the implementation of on-board passenger WiFi.

COTA has seen a 3.6% increase in June ridership, year over year, and ridership is expected to continue to increase into the fall with the addition of more companies into the C-Pass program, a partnership between the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, COTA, the Capital Crossroads SID, and downtown property owners to provide funded bus services to employees of eligible downtown offices. COTA’s effort to improve the Central Ohio transportation network is an important contribution to improving mobility for all Ohio residents, but there is still more work to be done to innovate Ohio’s transportation system, including the redress of state funding for public transit. For now, Greater Ohio joins other Columbus institutions in congratulating COTA for their national recognition.